Alex Smalley is at the top of a crowded leaderboard heading into the final day of the PGA Championship, with Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm among the main stars in the pack.
The middling co-leader bounced back from a nightmare start to shoot a two-under 68 with seven birdies and five bogeys in the third round, giving him a two-stroke advantage over second place in a five-way tie with Ryder Cup teammates Jon Rahm and Ludvig Oberg.
Aaron Rye is also one spot back and will be aiming to become the first British player to win the PGA Championship since 1919, with Matty Schmidt and Nick Taylor finishing the group on four under par and Rory McIlroy three shots behind, aiming to win back-to-back majors.
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Rory McIlroy shoots a 4-under 66 in the third round to jump onto the leaderboard at the PGA Championship
McIlroy is joined by the American trio of Xander Schauffele, Patrick Reed and Maverick McNeely at three under, with Justin Rose in the back four and defending champion Scottie Scheffler with a 71 for the second consecutive year, dropping to five behind.
Remarkably, 14 different players held at least a share of the lead at some point on Saturday, with just five strokes separating the top 30 players heading into Sunday’s final round.
McIlroy and Rahm battle, Smalley takes the lead
After strong winds and tough pins crowded the leaderboard, Saturday morning’s early starters took advantage of excellent scoring conditions, leaving the halftime leader just eight strokes from the cut mark.
Chris Kirk threatened to tie the worst round in men’s major history before finishing the third round with a double-bogey 65, while Rose, who entered Friday with an eagle, had five birdies on his front nine to also move to 2 under.
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Justin Rose holed out with a sensational eagle on Friday to end his weekend at the PGA Championship.
McIlroy was five behind the lead at halftime, but with a birdie on the 11th and a driveable 13th, he shot a front-nine 32 and briefly rose to the top. World No. 2 McIlroy insisted he still had a chance to win despite bogeying the penultimate hole of his round.
“I kind of crawled out of that hole (slow start),” McIlroy said as he looks to win his third PGA Championship. “I’m proud that we did it, but we still have one day left. I think we’ve done enough to still think we have a chance.”
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Rory McIlroy drives the 6th green in the third round of the PGA Championship.
Rahm fell one spot despite a bogey 67 on the final hole of the third round, and Oberg moved to 4 under with a 2-under 68. Meanwhile, Schmidt birdied three of the last five holes and Taylor shot a bogey-free 65, all sharing second place.
Scheffler, who is aiming for his fifth major title in several seasons, struggled with his putter with a 1-over 71 and fell outside the top 20, while Jordan Spieth, who is aiming for a career Grand Slam title, dropped to 1-over and 7 behind with a level-par 70 and has decided to miss another year.
Smalley reaches new heights with historic major lead
Smalley, who held a share of the lead after the first two rounds, bogeyed three of the first four holes and canceled out a birdie on No. 7 with a drop shot on No. 8.
The 78th-ranked player in the world made consecutive birdies around the turn, then birdied the easy-to-drive par-4 13th, then holed in from 25 feet on the 15th, then two-putted from 50 feet on the next par-5 to take a two-length lead at one point.
Alex Smalley leads by two strokes into final round of PGA Championship
Smalley was unable to get up and down from the sand to save par on the 17th, but he made up for it with a 15-foot birdie at the end, giving the American, still winless on the PGA Tour, his first 54-hole lead as a professional.
“I’ve been in the final group before, but obviously never on a stage like this,” Smalley told Sky Sports. “There’s a lot of people at the top of the leaderboard, so it’s a very open golf tournament. I’m just going to hit the best shots I can and see where it takes me.”
Who will win the PGA Championship? You can watch the final round live on Sky Sports Golf from 4pm on Sunday. Get and stream Sky Sports without a contract.
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